Today, the Craftsmen’s Fair attracts about 35,000 people including families, shoppers, collectors and tourists who come from all over the country. Juried participants include many craftsmen from the Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee region.

Visitors to the upcoming Craftsmen’s Fair at Mount Sunapee will see both familiar and new faces including many artisans from the Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee region. Fiber artists Marie Wiggins of Sunapee, Barbara A. Fisher of Mt. Sunapee, Susan Scalera of Goshen and Nancy Graham of Newport are amongst the juried participants in the 76th Annual League of NH Craftsmen Fair, August 1-9 in Newbury. And craftsmen in wood Peter Bloch, New London, and Terry Moore, Newport, will also be at the Fair again this year, as will master metal craftsmen Joseph DeRobertis of New London.

The League of NH Craftsmen retail gallery managers selected The Gift, a metal ornament created by DeRobertis, as the 2009 Annual Ornament. The Gift is hand crafted with aluminum, brass, and gold-filled metal. A juried League member since 1986, DeRobertis has been making at least one new holiday ornament every year for the past 11 years. His Rocking Horse metal ornament was selected as the League’s 1996 ornament. At this year’s Fair, DeRobertis will be demonstrate how crafts the The Gift. Visit the CraftWear exhibition.

Peter Bloch, perhaps best known for his translucent wood lampshades, wrote recently on his blog: “After making them for 16 years, I have no less passion about making the shades. In fact for the past month or so, my energy level has increased, and I find myself working longer hours and chomping at the bit to get in to the shop, seven days a week.”

Turned wood lampshade and lamp by Peter Bloch, who will be amongst the many area artists exhibiting work at the League of NH Craftsmen's Fair, Aug. 1-9.

Bloch, with furniture maker Ted Blachly, this year collaborated on a floor lamp for Living With Craft, one of the special exhibits at the Fair.

For Blachly, “furniture making is a way of life.” The Warner NH artisan joined the League in 1989 and says of his work, “I continue to develop a design language for furniture that is calm elegant and subtly sensuous. I feel the use of gently curved lines and surfaces, the warmth of exceptional woods, and ultimately a careful handmade approach will generate furniture that is a comfort to live with.”

Send us info about your favorite artists and Fair experiences/ photos, and we’ll try to include them in an upcoming article or on SunapeePics.com. Email: SunapeeNews@gmail.com.

Other craftsmen from the Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee region exhibiting their work at the 2009 Craftsmen’s Fair: